Mother-Tongue and Adult Literacy: The Case of Cameroon

4. Mother-Tongue and Adult Literacy: The Case of Cameroon

Recent estimates say that four million Cameroonians above fifteen years of age are illiterate. This includes people who never went to school and those who have lapsed back into illiteracy. The Cameroon population is about eleven million people. This is a young population. About 60 percent of Cameroonians are below twenty-five years old. The accuracy of literacy rate estimates is doubtful. Formal schooling is the basis for such estimates, and no internal activity aims at measuring the national literacy rate. Most of the figures are derived from external sources, like UNESCO estimates. How did the data get to the external sources? One thing is clear: Cameroon, like many other African countries, has relied heavily on formal schooling as a means for promoting adult literacy. Fortunately, Cameroon has one of the highest school attendance rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Seventy percent of primary school age children attend school. The major problem is the content of education. The official organization of adult literacy and adult education is loose. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is in charge of these activities, and they confuse acquiring literacy skills with learning French or English. They do not consider literacy skills in local languages when figuring the national literacy rate. Over the last decade, we have worked closely with the ministry in charge of adult literacy on issues related to adult literacy and education. This has resulted in new orientations toward adult literacy and education. Cameroonian scholars developed theoretical frameworks to guide adult literacy and education Minjes 1987. Scholars from the University of Yaounde, the Institute of Human Sciences, and the Cameroon branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics did essential linguistic research. These groups published materials to guide mother tongue adult literacy Shell 1981, Shell and Wiesemann 1987. The sensitive issue of mother-tongue literacy has received close attention, scrutiny and experimentation. We increasingly recognize that Cameroon languages must play a key role in adult literacy and literacy through formal schooling. Official support of this was shown in the celebration of Literacy Day on September 8. The entire first week of September, activities promoted literacy, especially mother-tongue literacy. Activities included public expositions of mother tongue literacy materials, awards of diplomas to new literates, visits to literacy classes, interviews, and conferences. More important, the president of Cameroon has set up a national committee for literacy. This committee will advise the government on all policy and practical matters concerning literacy. In October 1989, the National Association for Cameroon Language Committees NACALCO was formed to promote Cameroon languages in adult literacy and formal education. This group participated in the Literacy Day celebration. This shows a new dynamism in literacy. Literacy efforts in experimental research, theoretical development, nongovernmental initiatives, and official policy formulation are beginning to bear fruit.

5. From Basic Reading and Writing Skills to Socio-Structural Literacy